New WIFA Ambassador Announcement!
May 04, 2020Press Release: WIFA is proud to announce the appointment of 7 new Global Ambassadors! The WIFA membership is growing all over the world, and we are committed to delivering the best experience for each and every one of our members. The ambassador team plays a critical role in sharing the WIFA mission and supporting women in fitness around the globe. Read on to learn more about our newest ambassadors!
Fiona Kriaris is the Health and Wellness Product Manager for YMCA Victoria based in Melbourne, Australia. In the past decade she has had exposure to various aspects of the business which includes being a fitness professional, leader in staff development and culture, facility management, business tendering, and product development. With a dedicated focus on holistic wellbeing her studies extend internationally from UCLA at the Mindful Awareness Research Centre, being the first Australian with this global accreditation. Her most recent role as an Implementation Leader for the Victorian Government initiative ‘Change our Game’ is to bring equality and inclusivity to females in sport, active recreation and leadership roles, ensuring there is cultural and social change.
Mel Tempest is a fitness business innovator like no other. In addition to being a national and internationally demanded speaker and presenter, Mel is also a fitness business coach; founder of the Gym Owners’ Fitness Business Network and Podcast; facilitator and owner of the Ignite Fitness Business events in Australasia; and one of Australia’s most innovative and long-standing gym operators."WIFA allows me to create and lead a new generation of empowering courageous women leaders. The women we want our daughters to be."
Leisl is the Group Exercise Manager of 3 new Virgin Active clubs in Sydney. She manages a timetable of over 400 classes a week, with a team of over 70 highly skilled GEX Coaches. With close to 20 years experience in the fitness industry, Leisl is respected as a motivational leader, a regular industry writer, a popular GEX Coach and a former recipient of the coveted Virgin Active Star Award.
I have worked around the world in the fitness industry for 30+ years as a group exercise instructor, personal training, studio coordinator and small business owner. A military husband meant there as been a lot of moving, rebuilding and reinventing my skills & offering in the exercise market in my new area. We landed in NZ in 2007 and since then, I have contracted to many NZ facilities and had fun creating a large exercise network, including being NZ Distributor for Power Music and NZ Personal Training Council Ambassador for Auckland. I started in my Auckland based role as Business Development Manager with ExerciseNZ in October 2018.
"I am honoured to become a NZ WIFA Ambassador and I hope to connect with you all whilst supporting women in fitness to be the best they can be. WIFA has the power to bring women together to educate, inspire and support and I am pleased to be part of this fantastic community."
I am Jennifer Halsall De-Wit an international expert in Fitness, Personal Training and Member Retention. Currently I am the International Manager for Member Retention and Engagement for Basic-Fit. Over the past 18 years I have been at the heart and helm of the Fitness Department for 4 of the biggest gym chains in the world. I bring a diverse and dynamic skill-set to my roles in Personal Training Operations, Fitness & Group Exercise Programming, Product Development, Training & Development and Customer Experience. In my heart, I am a Personal Trainer and Coach – I have had the honour of being a part of the fitness journey for hundreds of thousands of people. My vision is to make the expertise of a highly qualified personal trainer accessible to everyone and to get people moving & on their Journey H.O.M.E
H:️Health & Happiness, O: Opportunities & Ownership, M: Movement & Mightiness, and E: Energy & Evolution
"To be completely honest, I felt like I spent most of my career as the outlier in a boys-club. I was so excited find WIFA a year ago. I feel so connected to the strong sisterhood in our sector, it empowers and anchors me. I want to be a part of the WIFA growth in the European market and am absolutely honoured to do this in my role as WIFA Ambassador."
Connie Beaulieu, CSCS, CPT, has dedicated her life to leading others toward living a healthy, active lifestyle. Since the year 2000, Connie has influenced thousands of lives through her personal training, coaching and fitness education career. Connie owns and operates C.U.Fit Personal Training; specializing in Personal, Group Training and Corporate Fitness in Ottawa, ON (under Corp: The Fitness Station (Ottawa) Ltd.). Most recently, Connie founded ACTIVATE, a series of inspiring events that unite Fitness Professionals and Enthusiasts for a day of education, connection and motivation.
Connie carries with her, over 8 years in commercial health club management, over 15 years of teaching courses and leading events, and over 13 years of running a successful Personal Training Business.
As a proud mom of 2 young kids, Connie understands the importance of family and the balance required in being a successful entrepreneur, and a devoted mom.
Connie’s passion is contagious, and her love for fitness, community and life, are the pillars to her success.
Connie has been featured regularly as a fitness expert/contributor for CTV Ottawa and has also been featured in Chatelaine magazine, The Globe and Mail, Rogers TV and The Huffington Post.
One of the fitness industry’s leading experts on entrepreneurship, Lori Patterson has built her career on creating and implementing group training programs throughout the US. After serving in the US Army and 36 years in the fitness industry, she still runs and operates a fitness business. Lori is the CEO of Victelib and creator of the Boot Camp Challenge®."The Women in Fitness Association (WIFA) was born out of a need for women to be represented, to be heard, and to be seen. And, within this organization, that is exactly what happens. We have a place to safely share our wins, losses, high and lows, and struggles and success (professionally AND personally) with no judgment. We have the opportunity to expand our network globally with the most amazing women around the world. And, lastly, we have an opportunity to mentor new entrepreneurs, trainers and managers and be mentored through the Mentorship program (my most fav thing). If you are a female in the fitness industry, no matter your title, you have to join WIFA. It’s where women are celebrated for all we are and all we do. Hoo Aah!"
